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novabird's review against another edition
5.0
A review specifically for, "The Blue Afternoon."
The chorus of Brian Greene’s narrative voice found in his plainly made explanations of physics, Cormac McCarthy in his realism/slight horror style voice of depicting how desperate people interact with the elements, and Neil Gaiman with his natural storytelling voice found in The Ocean at the End of the Lane along with Janet Fitch’s use of powerful shots of colour in White Oleander that highlight the human drama of dysfunction -- all of these authors and so many more combine in the fresh new outré voice found in Daniel H. Wilson’s The Blue Afternoon.
This tale deftly and with mercurial speed, which mirrors the approaching astronomical event, explores imposed micro constructs of human personality and heart onto the macro construct of ‘space-time, event/horizon events.’ The latter appears inhumanely callous and objective at first. How do we reconcile a cold and impassive universe with the human passion for life?
It is an evocative short story that begins with a bright and a supposedly somewhat Asperger spectrum man and his 3-year-old girl and ends with an existential question. How do we shoot for the stars and stay connected with our hearts? The author implicitly suggests that it’s found in the meaning that we assign to our lives that matters the most. “We will always have the stars.”
Incredibly beautiful.
I hope that the movie adaptation version of this amazing story outshines the film Melancholia as it deserves.
The chorus of Brian Greene’s narrative voice found in his plainly made explanations of physics, Cormac McCarthy in his realism/slight horror style voice of depicting how desperate people interact with the elements, and Neil Gaiman with his natural storytelling voice found in The Ocean at the End of the Lane along with Janet Fitch’s use of powerful shots of colour in White Oleander that highlight the human drama of dysfunction -- all of these authors and so many more combine in the fresh new outré voice found in Daniel H. Wilson’s The Blue Afternoon.
This tale deftly and with mercurial speed, which mirrors the approaching astronomical event, explores imposed micro constructs of human personality and heart onto the macro construct of ‘space-time, event/horizon events.’ The latter appears inhumanely callous and objective at first. How do we reconcile a cold and impassive universe with the human passion for life?
It is an evocative short story that begins with a bright and a supposedly somewhat Asperger spectrum man and his 3-year-old girl and ends with an existential question. How do we shoot for the stars and stay connected with our hearts? The author implicitly suggests that it’s found in the meaning that we assign to our lives that matters the most. “We will always have the stars.”
Incredibly beautiful.
I hope that the movie adaptation version of this amazing story outshines the film Melancholia as it deserves.
mags_2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
3.75
lshaknitz's review against another edition
4.0
*Miss Gloria 3/5
*The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever 5/5
*Jack, The Determined 2.5/5 (was not bad just very short)
*The Executor 3.75/5
*Helmet 3.5/5
*Blood Memory 4/5
*Foul Weather 5/5
*The Nostalgist 3/5
*Parasite: A Robopocalypse Story 2.5/5
*God Made 4/5
*Garden of Life 2.5/5
*All Kinds of Proof 3.5/5
*One for Sorrow: A Clockwork Dynasty Story 4/5
*Special Automatic 5/5
Overall a 4/5
*The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever 5/5
*Jack, The Determined 2.5/5 (was not bad just very short)
*The Executor 3.75/5
*Helmet 3.5/5
*Blood Memory 4/5
*Foul Weather 5/5
*The Nostalgist 3/5
*Parasite: A Robopocalypse Story 2.5/5
*God Made 4/5
*Garden of Life 2.5/5
*All Kinds of Proof 3.5/5
*One for Sorrow: A Clockwork Dynasty Story 4/5
*Special Automatic 5/5
Overall a 4/5
jakewjerrard's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
heathersbike's review against another edition
I liked a couple of these but for the most part they were too dark for me.
zre_rodri's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
grudgemental's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of good stories and concepts with none that drag on too long past the point.
britt_muse's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great short-story collection. My favorites were "The Blue Afternoon that Lasted Forever" and "Special Automatic"